A hair removal apparatus can be, for example, an epilator apparatus, a hair trimmer or a shaving apparatus. To enable user-friendly usage of the hair removal apparatus, provision can be made for mains-independent operation with batteries or rechargeable batteries. However, this entails the risk, for example when the user takes the hair removal apparatus along on a journey, of the hair removal apparatus being switched on inadvertently and the batteries or rechargeable batteries being discharged. One way to prevent this from happening is to lock the on/off switch of the hair removal apparatus in the off position.
Thus, for example, from EP 0 825 000 B1 there is known a dry shaving apparatus which has a housing with at least one electric drive mechanism for at least one cutter assembly, at least one control switch, and a guard cap for the cutter assembly, which guard cap is pivotally mounted on the housing. The control switch can be activated only in one particular pivot position of the guard cap which releases the cutter assembly. This is achieved, for example, by the control switch being constructed as a switch slide and by a recess being provided in the guard cap to act as a contact travel for at least one control movement of the control switch. The recess is available as a contact travel in only one defined pivot position of the guard cap. No contact travel is available except in this particular pivot position and therefore the control switch cannot be activated.